AllSpice Brings Flavor and Flair to the Johnston Farmers’ Market

Johnston_Farmers_MarketDo you love your AllSpice ingredients?  Do you love shopping farmers’ markets?

If you answered yes to either (or both!) of these questions, you’re in luck: AllSpice will have a stand at the Johnston Farmers’ Market this summer!

We’ll have a range of some of our most popular Balsamic Vinegars, Olive Oils, and other ingredients (think: rubs and blends for summer salads and outdoor grilling) available for purchase — just the thing to pair with your farmers’ market purchases to create a delicious summer menu!

The Johnston Farmers Market takes place Tuesdays from 3:30 – 6:30 pm, in the Johnston City Hall parking lot. The market runs weekly now through early October. For additional up-to-the-moment farmers’ market information, follow the Johnston Farmers’ Market on Facebook.

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What’s New At AllSpice? Spices. No, Really. Literally Spices.

Our newest thing here at the store is called Baharat.
Baharat? Isn’t that a card game 007 plays? (No. That’s Baccarat.)

Baharat? Isn’t that the guy who wrote songs for Dionne Warwick? (No. That’s Burt Bacharach, who also wrote this song for her.)


(Not Baharat. They’re playing Baccarat.)

In Arabic, the word Baharat just means “spices,” and in this instance, it’s a blend of spices that lend a particularly Middle Eastern flavor to your meat, vegetable and egg dishes. It’s an ancient spice blend that is brand new at AllSpice.

Most commonly found in recipes from the Persian Gulf, Baharat spice blends generally include black pepper, coriander, paprika, cardamom, nutmeg, cumin, cloves, paprika, and cinnamon. These spices are often toasted before being ground together. Other additions may include sumac, saffron, turmeric, and chiles.  The Baharat spice blend can vary geographically; for example, in Turkey, Baharat often contains mint, and in Tunisia the blend often has dried rose petals.


(A spice market in Istanbul, Turkey.)

Our own special Baharat blend is aromatic, warm, and sweet. Just a pinch can add depth and flavor to soups, tomato sauces, lentils, rice pilafs, and couscous. A teaspoon of Baharat mixed into each pound of raw ground beef yields an amazing, subtly-spiced burger.

Baharat also works well as a dry rub or seasoning for meats and vegetables, and as the key ingredient (with olive oil and lemon juice) in a marinade for lamb or chicken. Use in yogurt to make a great dip for raw veggies or sauce for proteins.

Visit the AllSpice website, and browse all the recipes that use Baharat, from burgers and veggies to the playfully-named Upside-Down Chicken.

AllSpice’s Baharat spice blend is available for $6.00 for a 1/2 Cup jar. Stop by the store to check it out!

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Mothers’ Day: Flowers and Brunch, Cards and Calls

Depression-era_momMothers’ Day: it’s a relatively new holiday, but one with ancient roots.

The “modern” Mother’s Day, as it is celebrated today in America, became an official US holiday one hundred years ago, in 1914. But the celebration of mothers and motherhood can trace its ancestry all the way back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele.

Let’s take a look at some of the more popular ways to celebrate Mother’s Day (and suggest a few alternatives of our own):

Mother’s Day is big business. In the United States, Mother’s Day is celebrated by presenting mothers and other women with gifts and flowers, and the occasion has become one of the biggest holidays for consumer spending. In the U.S. alone, Mother’s Day 2012 spending reached $18.6 billion. A far cry from macaroni necklaces and tissue-paper flowers you made for Mom in grade school, the average adult today spends about $150 on gifts, the National Retail Federation estimates.* More

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National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 5 – 9

2014TeacherAppreciationWeekIt’s National Teacher Appreciation Week right now, and so we’ve been reflecting on our favorite teachers lately.

Who were your favorite teachers? For us, there was the grade school teacher who introduced us to Roald Dahl’s stories, and  the high school teacher who channeled our love of puzzles and games into the ability to solve algebra problems and write geometry proofs.  And, more recently, there is the middle school science teacher who, upon retirement (35 years after I finished junior high), unpacked a box that held my eighth grade term paper, and tracked me down on Facebook to tell about it (true story).

Great teachers transcend the “classroom job” description to really instill in their pupils a love of learning. And great teachers’ own love of teaching, and of mentoring others, inspires us to do the same.

And of course, not all great teachers are even in classrooms. Even though we are grown-ups now, there are always special people in our lives who act as our teachers — those inspiring friends and colleagues who expose us to new ideas and interests, recognizing strengths and talents we might not have known we possessed, and encouraging us to stretch and learn and grow.

What is the “secret ingredient” that makes a great teacher? Perhaps it is their dedication to their craft, and the personal interest they have shown in us and in our potential to be and do something special.

Single out those special teachers in your life, and honor them this week with a little thank you gift.

red_apple_balsamicOur suggestions:

  • For the classroom teacher who already has every red-apple desk accessory, give a tasty bottle of delicious Red Apple Balsamic Vinegar.
  • If you love to make homemade teacher thank-you gifts, a batch of award-winning Gingerbread Biscotti, or Triple Ginger Cookies (pictured, below) would be delicious and well appreciated.
  • Browse our whole gift box section for more teacher appreciation gift ideas, or pop into the shop (or call us at 515-868-0808) to talk with staff and create your own gift box or bag!

triple_Ginger_cookie_kit

 

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Midwest Living Spotlights Our Barnyard (Moo-Cluck-Oink) Box!

MidwestLivingMay2014

E-I-E-I-O.  Lifestyle magazine Midwest Living has highlighted AllSpice’s Barnyard spice blend collection, in the Discoveries section of the June 2014 issue.

They enthuse, “We couldn’t help but giggle when we spotted Barnyard: Moo-Cluck-Oink at AllSpice in Des Moines. The ready-t0-gift box has every emat covered.”

Have you checked out the Barnyard gift box? Just like Old MacDonald’s quintessential barnyard, the Barnyard collection from Allspice runs the gamut from chickens and other poultry to cows and pigs. A terrific gift of fresh ideas and flavors for the experienced chef — the Barnyard also gives the novice cook some “secret weapons” for creating delicious main dishes with ease. The Barnyard collection consists of Mesquite Barbecue Rub, Bourbon Pepper, New York Steak and Burger Blend, Red Rooster, Pig Powder and Berbere Spice blends.

You can read all about the Barnyard spice rub set over at our online store.  Neatly boxed and tied with a color-coordinated bow, the Barnyard gift box, at $24, makes a great start-the-outdoor-cooking-season gift for your favorite grill-meister  or -mistress.

You can find the May/June 2014 issue of Midwest Living at your local newsstand or bookstore, or online at this link.

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